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Covington County citizens were able to help victims of Hurricane Ian by donating supplies at the Kiwanis Community Center in Andalusia last weekend.

Kiwanis Club member Donald Baucom organized the relief effort, which was held Saturday, Oct. 1, from 9 a.m. until noon.

“I would like to thank the people of Covington County for all the donations. I called Don Cotton because if you want to get something in Andalusia, he’s a good person to call. He got with Kiwanis, made a few phone calls, and it just happened. I have a complete trailer load of items and am on the road to Fort Myers now. There were a few things we could not haul, so we may be making another trip, but I’m not sure on that yet. I will see when I get down here what all they need and what items work well for them,” Baucom said.

According to Baucom, there were several contributors who helped make the relief effort possible.

“ADC was wonderful and donated pallets of water, Gatorade, some Vienna sausage, cans of Beanee Weenees, toilet paper, paper towels, and several more items on seven pallets. I really appreciated the Andalusia Fire Department for coming out and helping us. Those guys did a really good job and always serve our community well. The Key Club also sent some kids out there who were great at helping and are a credit to the community. We were at the Kiwanis building for about three hours with a steady stream of people donating. Andalusia is a wonderful place, and it was good to see all the help on such short notice.”

Baucom, a former resident of Fort Myers, Florida who now calls Andalusia home, was grateful for the opportunity to help others in need.

“It’s where I come from. I was born and raised in Fort Myers and worked for the fire department down there. It means a lot to me because it’s where I grew up, and I know they need the help, so I wanted to do what I could to help. We appreciate WAAO and the Covington Association of Realtors for helping us spread the word and gather supplies,” he said.